Legacy

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, and no I can't believe it, I thought I would take some time to reflect on the things I am thankful for. I'll start with how thankful I am for the legacy Cory's Pawpaw left. 6 years ago when I became a part of the Ruiz family is about the time Pawpaw was diagnosed with lung cancer, so most of the time I have been in the family he was sick. He had a couple years where he improved, but the majority he didn't feel well. Seeing his loved ones morn made me sad I didn't really get to know him well. What I now know is Pawpaw either continued or started the legacy of loyalty and hard work in the Ruiz family. These two qualities are what I admire most about Cory. As we morned S.C. (Pawpaw) I heard stories of how being sick was frustrating to him, because he had to slow down and couldn't work as hard on the ranch as he wanted. I also heard about how this single dad raised his 3 young children all on his own. He left his home in west Texas and created a life for them in Vidor. He provided for all their needs caring for them as both mother and father. I really can't image how hard that would have been. Bisabuelo (Pawpaw) reminds me that even after we are gone the qualities we instill in our children can be passed on for generations. I was encouraged that parenting is such an important gift and we have the ability to impact this world one child at a time. Whenever, I start to feel discouraged and try to find meaning I will remember watching Caleb's Great Grandpa hold him in his arms with so much pride that the Ruiz name would continue on. Maybe with a much lighter skin tone and lacking the ability to speak Spanish, but Pawpaw's strong work ethic and loyalty will be two qualities that I will instill in Makaylee and Caleb and continue his legacy.